Together We Fade
by AriaChii
Summary: "...and even if everyone else fades away, I'll always be here, happy to see you every moment I can..." Best friends, left behind, but not alone. TifaxGen Melancholy turned sweet.


So, first fan fic ever, this is based off a Roleplay I did with Seraphim210 when we were feeling quite down. So, I hope you like it, we never saw this going this way, it just happened and well, I'll let you read it.

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, Square Enix does, I am simply Momma Tifa when it is necessary.

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A frosty paradise.

There stood Genesis, his feet buried in the snow, hands buried in his pockets. Snowing? Where…Outer Midgar. It was a random turn of season, something that the people around never really got to see. The main question here is: 'Why is he alone?' He didn't really know either. After spending a large amount of time there doing absolutely nothing but admire—he decided to leave. Driving through the snow wasn't exactly an easy task, and nobody really wanted to…Walking in something that they all were deprived of was a better option to most of the people.

Genesis walked. He walked, walked…and walked. He wasn't exactly sure where he was going anymore. After an hour of walking…pushing forward—he finally reached Central Midgar. His iridescent eyes scanned the various people around him. Children, the elderly…middle class workers, poor vendors, everything. Everyone was smiling. A rather dramatic for the people here in Midgar. He didn't really understand why it was that way, why it was so easy for them to…The snow. What did it bring them? The happiness was bound to leave. It would melt away with all of their smiles, their dreams. Everything was the same. They would be deceived, and it was something that Genesis pitied them for. A blood red scarf was wrapped around the auburn's neck, he wore his standard black duster—the sound. The sound of his shoes crunching into the seemingly solid beds of snow…Distracting, but calming. His eyes glanced downwards at them.

She watched, unbidden from the sidewalk. A couple warming themselves inside a cafe from the falling snow. She stood for only a second, long enough to see her wipe a bit of whipped cream off his nose, left behind by the hot chocolate they drank. He looked at her his bright blue eyes amused, staring into her emerald orbs as she licked off the cream. He leaned forward in his chair...she left, walking down the sidewalk, snow crunching under her feet. She's already known, even given her blessing, but it still hurt, watching him fall in love without her. She clutched her black pea coat around her, burying her face in the ivory scarf tucked tight around her neck. She watched everyone around her, happy...she put on a smile to match those around her, looking up to seee a familiar red head. Her smile grew a little more sincere

"Gen!" she called out, walking towards the dark figure of her best friend.

Out of nowhere, he heard someone calling out his name. A familiar voice, a friendly one calling out his name... A warm one. He turned a bit after stopping in his tracks, and noticed someone was closing in on him. It was Tifa. She had a smile on her face, but her eyes spoke otherwise. He let out a frosted breath as he answered her, "Tifa…?"

"Poet drawn out by the snow...I should've guessed..." she spoke softly.

Genesis now was fully turned to face Tifa. He smiled at her respectively, his eyes almost the exact same as hers. "I couldn't resist." He noticed her eyes seemed far more mature. It had been a few years since they had become friends now. She had grown into a lovely young lady. He could read her like a book, Loveless, perhaps? He took a step forward, and placed a caring, gloved hand on her coated shoulder. He tilted his head downward a bit, and placed his eyes on her lips. "Are you alright?" The pair of best friends had quite pale skin, however Tifa's was paler. A cool chill soon swept past them, blowing their hair to the right in a swift fashion. She did not flinch under the chill as the air stilled once more, leaving them to suffer the shiver of aftershock. After a moment of silence…"Tifa, it's alright…" He spoke in a quiet voice. "You can tell me." His eyes still didn't meet hers.

Tifa sighed lightly as he called her out. She wasn't trying to hide what she was feeling from him, she'd learned it was pointless to try. "I'm ok, it's nothing new..." Gen knew about her feelings when it came to Cloud, she'd let him go and could even feel happy about it most of the time, but even after a year, she still felt the pangs of hurt. She'd been alone since him, no one to really distract her and seeing them happy was taking it's slow toll on her.

Genesis understood. Tifa and Cloud's relationship was one of the most complicated ones—of all things in the name of love. He noticed a faint red color form on Tifa's cheeks, the chilly wind's doing no doubt. He then felt a warm, loving hand mimic his—and place itself on his shoulder. "I see…I understand."

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. Her best friend didn't seem himself either, he wasn't looking at her eyes, something he only did when he was upset, or bothered. She mirrored his action, resting her hand his shoulder, pulling them a little closer against the chill "...you can tell me too..." quiet words, no further explanation needed between the two as she searched to meet his gaze.

He sighed gently, "It seems that everyone has disappeared…faded away." He whispered the last two words. It was true. Sephiroth wasn't around anymore, Cloud was with Aerith, Barret was off somewhere doing work—he had taken Denzel and Marlene with him…Cid and Shera were off on vacation and Zack had moved to settle in Junon. The Turks were away on a mission, they didn't have much reason to come by anymore…just once in awhile. "No one is here anymore." He then tilted his head back up so that he looked straight off into the distance. He turned his head to the right, and answered Tifa's question. "…As for me. I was just noticing all of the smiles." He now spoke in a bittersweet tone, "There's nothing to be happy about. This…" He furrowed his eyebrows. "This snow will be gone in a matter of days. It will melt away along with their momentary 'happiness.'" His tongue was truly frostbitten. He quickly softened his facial expression, and looked back down at Tifa—wondering what her reaction would be to everything he had just said. The perforated memories of gentle touches, serenity…hope. What happened to all of that?

Tifa's eyebrow twitched at her friend's melancholy words, all of them true, but the way he said it broke through the wall holding back her own thoughts that mirrored the words. The thoughts churned in her mind, but she came to a different conclusion..."They're faded, but not gone...out family is still here..." she moved her free hand up to rest over the man's heart. "...and they'll always be there, no matter how far away we are." She looked into his eyes, her own having previously been staring at his chest. "Happiness, even for just a moment, is something to enjoy, and when it fades, you go to the next moment, and even if it's not as happy as the last, it's still worth having. It's what life is, a series of moments."

Seeing Tifa's sincere, sorrowful, empathetic, mutual expression…her positive take on the inevitable; made Genesis feel even more connected to the woman than ever before. The respect he had for her increased tenfold the moment he heard her words. It was a piece of wisdom that she shared with him, that's what it was. He caught on quickly, and filed the words away into his memory. He felt her hand move over his heart…it was as if she controlled the pace of his beating…The uneasiness and doubt suddenly turned into realization. He wasn't alone, he was just blind. Those iridescent eyes of his, de-saturated by the reflective white and gray world around them…suddenly were colorized once more—into a brighter slate blue. It was as if the gentle touch of her hand brought color into the pallor pigment of his skin, his eyes. It was as if his numb body were feeling again for the first time—after many years.

She smiled softly up at he friend, the gesture reaching her eyes this time, His brightened expression at her words made her heart swell, she could see it, her closest friend, closest companion seemingly springing back to life from his melancholy state. "...and even if everyone else fades away, I'll always be here, happy to see you every moment I can..." her hand moved from his shoulder to his cheek, warming the cold skin underneath it.

The soft chill wasn't cold anymore…because he knew he wasn't alone. He met Tifa's eyes, her bright, wondrous eyes. They glittered, brighter than the snow around them. He placed his hand on her waist, the other still on her upper arm. Subconsciously, he leaned in…forward…He paused—his lips two inches away from hers. They quivered subtly, her breath seeming to slow as frosted air seeped through the space between them…Her eyes reflected his. Seemingly content, but completely destroyed. The rush of memories, of course they'd have those…Cherish those.

"Then…" He breathed silently, "Let's cherish those moments…together."

Her breath stopped when the poet spoke, that moment, her love and caring for him shifted, changed, morphed into something she had never foreseen, never thought possible, but there it was, staring at her, creating the most wonderful butterflies fluttering within her.

He pressed his numb lips onto hers, slid the hand from her upper arm to her cheek—between her skin and hair. He snaked his other hand from her waist around the small of her back—and kissed a forbidden, lost…fragile kiss. His lips, so gentle, his embrace, soft, she felt so loved in thet moment, words left her, feeling taking over. It was as if this moment itself equaled the billions of atoms in a snowflake—marking it's rarity, irreplaceable…in it's own way. He kissed her, deprived…impassioned…The snow soon started to fall…

'Silent, soft, and slow…descends the snow…' Genesis pulled his lips away, just an inch… but their link never broke as the white flakes fell on them, dotting their hair. He tilted his head downwards, and pressed his nose aside hers. His eyes began to glaze over, she probably wondered why…he felt so empowered, so emotional. 'Silly me…the snow really does bring out the poet…' He smiled to himself vulnerably.

She looked into his eyes, they stared through her, she could see the look of emotion in them, so strong, unexpected, it matched her own. Her forehead pressed against his, fingers resting tangled in his hair.

"...together." she whispered, a promise to him, her best friend, the love they'd been blind to...

...never again.


End file.
